THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, June 23, 1994 TAG: 9406230460
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B3 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY IDA KAY JORDAN, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: 940623 LENGTH: PORTSMOUTH
Ecker succeeds his Coast Guard Academy classmate of 1960, Rear Adm. W. Ted Leland, who is retiring after 34 years of service.
{REST} The arrival of Kramek set off a 19-gun salute that echoed off the ships in drydock at Norshipco and back to downtown Portsmouth.
``I can truly say, your leadership will be missed,'' Kramek, a 1961 graduate of the Coast Guard Academy, told Leland, ``but we are better prepared because of it.''
He lauded Leland's replacement as ``one of the most experienced men in the Goast Guard.''
Ecker, most recently chief of the Office of Navigation Safety and Waterway Services at U.S. Coast Guard Headquarters in Washington, will head a district that stretches from New Jersey through North Carolina.
The 5th District includes more than 80 units in six states. About 2,500 active Coast Guard members, 150 civilians, 2,500 reservists and 40,000 Coast Guard Auxiliary members work in the district.
Ecker, who served in Vietnam aboard the Coast Guard cutter Mellon, was in Portsmouth in 1987 as 5th District chief of staff for Rear Adm. Alan D. Breed.
``I am pleased to be back in the fabulous 5th,'' Ecker said. He cited the complex nature of the district, which includes ``numerous important ports,'' such as Philadelphia, Baltimore and Hampton Roads, along with 40,000 commercial fishermen who operate 18,000 vessels.
The 5th District must ``sustain different interests,'' including commercial fishermen, international shipping, environmental organizations, coastal communities and recreational boaters, he said.
``All have needs, and we must keep a balanced, even-handed approach,'' Ecker said.
He promised an ``open door for honest discussion'' with environmental groups.
Two of his goals, he said, are the elimination of substandard ships in coastal waters and improved boating safety among commercial fishermen.
``I believe the waterways are national treasures,'' Ecker said. ``They are important for our future.'' by CNB